


Falling in Deep

by kurropie



Category: Devilman (Anime & Manga), Devilman Crybaby - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Eventual Smut, M/M, Mostly Ryo-centric on the pining part, Mutual Pining, Pining, Ryo trying to express his feelings to Akira, but dont worry Akira will start pining for him soon enough, he's trying his best, rating will go up and tags will be added as the story progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-04-01
Packaged: 2019-03-27 01:30:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13870203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kurropie/pseuds/kurropie
Summary: Ryo was beside himself, for once more confused than he ever could say he's been before. He knew so many things and yet he didn't know what the hell to do about his gigantic crush on his best friend.Maybe saying “crush” was too childish. Ryo’s feelings were more than that. If he had to truly describe it, he would say he's fallen very hard for Akira.He's fallen hard and he didn't want to get up.[In which Ryo Asuka constructs a well thought out plan to convey his feelings to his best friend with help from self help romance books and a raunchy novel]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Man so it's been literal years since I've written fanfiction, but with Devilman Crybaby coming in and curbstomping my heart into pieces, i feel like it's finally time for me to start writing something again! 
> 
> Long story short, I wanted to write something a bit comedic , but ultimately its about Ryos overwhelming romantic feelings for Akira and his struggle to finally convey them . Or at least his attempts to, since in this he's trying a variety of ways to show Akira his affections, but its harder than it seems since Akira isn't exactly reading the atmosphere.
> 
> So please enjoy Ryos journey into his eventual seduction of his best friend. [ And just because I like sharing music, [ this ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcftmFsVMRY) might set the mood of the fic (esp. for later) ]

“Jenny…I hate this. How do I get around these... feelings. I'm not opposed to acting on them, but I am very under prepared for how to do this.”

Ryo was beside himself, for once more confused than he ever could say he's been before. He knew so many things and yet he didn't know what the hell to do about his gigantic crush on his best friend.

Maybe saying “crush” was too childish. Ryo’s feelings were more than that. If he truly had to describe it, he would say he's fallen very hard for Akira.

He's fallen hard and he didn't want to get up.

Jenny shrugs, watching Ryo look frustrated and frazzled. She’s never seen him so worked up like this. Irritated, sure, but never to the point where he was pouting and rubbing at his temples, eyes screwed shut as he sighed loudly.

“Why don't you just tell him ? You've never hesitated about being blunt with him before.”

“That's different... _this_ is different. I can't just jump in and tell him with no...no planning. No finesse. I'm not going to be sloppy about this.”

He needed to be meticulous. How can he convey his feelings to Akira without making a fool of himself? He cared for Akira so much and he valued every aspect of their relationship. His feelings had been growing for a long time, and even now as he spent more and more time with Akira did these feelings start to flourish. He remembers as children they were suppose to draw what they thought their futures might be like. His involved a marriage to Akira and their house being full of thousands of cats.

Normally he wasn't that ridiculous, but he wanted to make up for the kitten Akira tried to save back then. It only made sense to get him as many cats as possible. He's extremely fond of that memory, mostly because Akira told him they'd have to invite everyone to the wedding.

Maybe back then Ryo didn't realize what those emotions were, but now he was older and it was plainly clear to him that he was infatuated. He found himself longing for Akiras touch even after his large hands were on him, be it grabbing him and tossing him around like he weighed nothing (according to Akira he was much lighter than Miki, which was a definite plus for Ryo) or wrapping an arm around his shoulders---just anything was enough to make Ryo want Akiras hands on him.

He'd sneak and take pictures of Akira and he'd even would call him to talk about anything he could think of just to hear his voice when they weren’t in the same room together. 

Being head over heels for someone made him do things he never saw himself going through with. It was beyond frustrating however because he was no good at expressing these things openly and for once, this would be something he was deathly afraid of messing up. He ruffles up his own, neatly groomed hair and makes an exasperated noise, eyeing the notes he had up on his computer screen. He tried making several planned out scenarios for how to relay what he wanted to tell Akira, but all of them ended in him keymashing gibberish words out of annoyance.

“Sir, if you’re wanting to go about this a certain way, then I believe you’re going to need some...assistance.” Jenny offers, looking over at the blonde as he ran his hands down his face, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as he looked over at her.

“Are you suggesting to me that you’re willing to help me pour my heart out to Akira?”

“Sort of. I'm personally not very adept at this. I don’t usually look at normal romantic content, but I do know what to acquire for you.” 

Ryo blinks, surprised at Jenny offering him this much, though really she did things for him all the time and never complained aside from her snarky commentary. However, he was a bit...wary of her saying she didn’t look at “normal romantic content.”

“I suppose if you’re offering,” he sighs. “Then I’m willing to take what I can get. I can’t even begin to think of what to google for this.” he replies, leaning back against the couch. Jenny just seems to smile like normal, though he caught the glint in her eye.

“I’ll return shortly, the water for your tea is heating up and I’ll prepare it for you when I get back.” she says, making her way out of the door. Ryo watches, not sure what to expect from Jenny, but he knew she would mean well so he didn’t dwell on it for the moment. Right now he was too busy scrolling through twitter to take his mind off of it for just a bit.

Though, in the back of his mind he really hoped this would all work out.

Jenny returns about fifteen minutes later with a bag from a nearby bookstore, the weight of the books apparent as Ryo looked up from the tenth youtube video he was just finished watching. He watches Jenny walk over and dump the books out onto the coffee table, waiting for Ryo to start looking them over.

He was not sure if Jenny was making fun of him or genuinely wanted to make sure he was one hundred percent successful.

There were only few books so far, with simple titles like “ You, Yourself and Your Love Life : Guide To Obtaining the Relationships You Want” or the one that really made his eyebrow twitch called “Romance for Emotionally Confused Idiots.” Even a raunchy one literally called “The Sex and Seduction Manual “ that nearly made him fumble all the books in his hands. Ryos face heats up at that one, his lips pressed together into a straight line as he eyed the books. A majority of them were tame, but just...that one was the one that, truthfully , was making his heart hammer in his chest. 

“Jenny, I do hope you aren’t trying to make a fool out of me with some of these.”

“I assure you I’m not. They’re recommended and also popular.”

Ryo looks at her for a moment and then back at the books, breathing hard out of his nose as he set them down on the table. It was either this or him screaming as he googled for answers to his questions, only to find himself trying to decipher badly worded and horribly misspelled yahoo answers posts.

“And before I forget,” she pauses, leaving her spot briefly to go looking through her purse. Ryo saw her with one often, but he wondered what she even kept in it. “I also have this. You may borrow it.” she says as she returns with a slightly small, thick book with a very dramatic looking cover of two people embracing one another in somewhat period appropriate clothing. Ryo just stares at it, a little dumbfounded and not sure what to say or what to think about what she has just presented to him. 

“Jenny...what is this.”

“It’s a novel, usually called a bodice ripper. They’re moderately written books involving the heated romantic tellings of two, usually very sexually involved, people who are infatuated with each other. It’s beyond trashy, but admittedly I’m fond of reading them.” she admits, her grin ever present as Ryos eyes narrowed at her once he stopped staring at the book suspiciously. “ I'm giving you this one to borrow for inspiration, though you don’t have to take it too seriously.”

Ryo blushes hard , making face as he looked from her to the book and back again. “Jenny , I’m not going to take advice from a book written for people who won't admit they basically just want sultry porn with a silly, dramatic plot line--- I’m sorry does this woman fuck a werewolf in this?” he asks in a slightly surprised voice , actually reading the summary on the back as his eyes widened. He was sure Jenny was internally laughing her ass off at him, especially considering the beautiful blonde woman on the cover and her lover being very well built, dark haired man.

“I told you it wasn’t exactly normal---in most cases. Either way, I do hope these books will help you out.”

“ Yes and thank you for getting me this wonderful….reading material.” he says, making a face as he turns to a random page in the book, landing right on a very steamy scene. His cheeks were hot and pink as he read the words, closing the book before he got too caught up in reading the awfully prosy sentences he laid his eyes on. He makes a soft noise and watches briefly as Jenny get his tea and snack ready for him, since honestly at this point he was going to need it.

He only hoped what he reads would actually be of some help. He trusted Jennys judgement however and since he had no choice,he figured he’d have to just deal with what he’s got.

 

* * *

 

It's been a week or so since he’d started reading through the books Jenny got for him, starting off with one of the tamer ones about showing your feelings and letting your potential other know how you feel about them. 

Ryo found this easier said than done, but he was going to make an effort.

He was currently with Akira after he fought another demon he’d been keeping track of, the creature stalking late night employees at a warehouse and trying to get an easy meal. He watches with bated breath as Akira let out a satisfied noise and stretched his messy body, covered in demon blood.

“Ya know, normally I feel weird about getting so worked up over like...fighting and killing demons, but its exhilarating? Kinda like a rush, you know. But I uhh...I still feel bad, I guess? Is it weird to like it?” Akira asks. Ryo blinks and looks surprised once he was brought back from having zoned out for a bit. 

“Ah? Oh...well, I know it might seem odd to be riled up after something like this, but you are running on adrenaline. I dont think theres anything wrong with liking a little action. I know you may think it odd to be so pumped up about doing something violent, but it's for the greater good.” he says, going up to him and flashing a soft smile. “Doesn't make you any different from how you are as a person Akira. You are very passionate and it shows. I believe that's a great quality.” he says, proud of himself for getting Akira to blush and smile.

Internally he was giggling to himself, glad he was following what the book described. Complimenting your potential other as a means of flirtation was key. Now he just had tto hope Akira would pick up on it.

“You always know what to say to make me feel better, thanks Ryo!” he says, clasping a hand onto the blondes shoulder. Ryo internally swooned at that, despite Akira getting a messy handprint on his coat, he could care less at the moment if only because Akira was touching him.

“You know I aim to please. And you do all the dirty work, so of course a compliment is always in order. You deserve it.” He adds, his lips twitching at the corners as he smiled some more. He also read something about keeping a smile you reserve for the other person was a good way to show them the side of yourself you wanted them to notice. “I find it charming that you're so valiant.”

He bites the inside of his cheek to hide the grin he almost flashes when Akira looks sheepish and embarrassed.

“Aw...Ryo, stop it. You're making me feel all...sappy.” He says rubbing at his reddened cheeks. Score ten for Ryo. He felt like he was making major accomplishments--- at least major enough to himself, anyway.

Ryo just chuckles softly, looking at him through his lashes for a moment before speaking. " We should head back. I’m sure you’re in need of a shower. Plus, I can hear your stomach from here. I’ll tell Jenny to have a meal prepared for you.” he says, turning around to head toward the car and smiling when Akira’s stomach released a loud gurgle like noise.

“Please. I could honestly eat a whole house right now.” Akira answers back, following him to the car and trying to shake off as much of the demon blood and guts that might still be on him. 

Ryo would feed Akira the amount of twenty houses if he wished it. He felt like Akira deserved whatever he wanted and Ryo would gladly give it to him.

 

* * *

 

After feeding Akira up plenty and letting him rest up a bit, he drops him off at the Makimuras, smiling and hugging him before he walked up to the door. He sees the girl, Miki, and her brother watching from one of the balconies. He’d not spoken to her directly, but he had a feeling Akira told her about him enough that she would smile and wave to him usually. He blinks and gives a little wave back. He’s still surprised that she seems to be over him shooting up the dock when he first arrived there and whisked Akira off that day, but then again Ryo was never one for normal first impressions.

Currently, he was at home, pouring over the books he had been highlighting passages out of and using clear sticky note-esque markers for things he thought were important. Jenny glanced over as she finished up washing his dishes, eventually going over to him a she dried her hands.

“You seem eager. You’ve been taking notes quite enthusiastically.” she points out, eyes scanning as she noted that he did have the risque books she offered to him to the side. She wondered if he’d started peeking at them yet.

“I am. Today I managed to get Akira flustered. I consider it a step in the right direction. I’m currently planning out what to do as I go.” he explains, written notes sprawled out on the table in his neat scrawl. This doesn't surprise her, as Ryo seemed to enjoy having and creating well thought out plans.

“Mmhmm. Have you taken any notes from those other books.” she says, blinking when Ryo stopped and glanced at them quickly, his cheeks getting red as he tried to hide behind the book in his hands.

“Not...yet.”

“I see.”

“I will...eventually. I’m trying to go through each book with considerable attention.” he explains, hoping that Jenny couldn't see that he was actually embarrassed to look into those books. She probably knew it anyway and he hated how perceptive she was.

“Oh, take your time. No need to rush. I know how you are about planning in steps.” she replies, turning around to leave him to his notes. Jenny could only smile, like usual, but this one was more out of amusement.

Ryo furrows his eyebrows, watching her walk off to finish tidying up the kitchen. If he wasn’t mistaken, he was sure Jenny was hinting that he should throw his carefully constructed planning into the garbage and get straight to throwing himself at Akira.

If he had no self control, he was sure he would.

Ryo was not going to allow that to happen though, he really wanted to take things one step at a time. He wanted to make sure Akira would start to really see how much Ryo was trying and now Ryo was being so sincere and genuine with his feelings. 

Besides, Akira was a sucker for heartfelt, romantic situations . He’s watched enough vomit inducing romcoms and drama movies to know how to get to the devilmans heart. He figured that this way, Akira would appreciate all that he was doing to see their eventual romantic relationship as a success. 

Or so he hoped.

He sighs and looks at the paragraph he was reading in one of his books, eyes scanning carefully as he read.

_Being spontaneous is another good way to surprise the person within your affections. They won't expect you to do something out of the ordinary. Presenting them with gifts, holding their hand, innocent touches or even just doing something subtle to get their attention. Your goal is to show them what your intentions are._

Ryo nods, taking care to highlight that paragraph and marking its spot on the page. Sure, he had most of that covered for sure. Giving someone a phone ,a motorcycle and feeding them ridiculously expensive amounts of food would honestly make anybody fall head over heels for the one giving the gifts, Ryo thought. But Akira just saw it as,well, a friendly gesture. Now that Ryo was really thinking about it, those things didn’t count toward his plans. He frowns, tapping the end of the highlighter against his lips. 

Despite these things...he felt like he could continue doing something similar, except this time he’d put his heart in it. He reads a bit more, seeing that gifts can be symbolic in a lot of ways and your own personal touch tends to show how much you care for the other person. He’d never thought about just...making something for Akira. Smart as he was, Ryo wasn’t as...craft oriented. He didn’t make things very often and he certainly didn’t cook much, or at all.

But fuck it, he wanted to try because it was for Akira. He knows what his best friend likes and he’d do anything he could to ensure the success of his feelings getting through to Akira.

“Jenny, I’m making a list of grocery items. I have something planned for Akira.” Jenny perks up from where she was putting dishes away.

“Do you want me to prepare something for him?”

“No. I’m going to be the one cooking.” he says, looking smug about what he had planned. Jenny stares, sweat rolling down her face as she watched the young blonde type away on his computer. Ryo wasn’t...the absolute worst cook ever, but he honestly wasn’t the most patient person about it. If she had to be truthful, Ryo really only had success with barely burning toast. She remembers coming in one day to the kitchen looking as if tornado came through, with Ryo looking rather irritated at the food he was attempting to make. Burnt and rather inedible, he ended up scraping it and asking her to fix him something instead.

The fact that he was wanting to make something for the devilman he was pining for was, to say the least, endearing but she sincerely hoped this wouldn’t result in a disaster.

“Ah...I see.” she says, regaining her composure. “Do you need any assistance making any of it?”

“I want to do this myself. I’m looking up recipes as we speak.” he says, scrolling through on his computer.

“As you wish. I can purchase these things for you tomorrow if you wish.”

“I’d appreciate that, Jenny. I don’t want to toot my own horn, but this will be another glorious step toward my plan coming to fruition. Akira is going to love it.” he says, cracking a toothy grin.

Despite her worry for Ryos safety and the possibility of him blowing up the entire kitchen, she still manages to actually crack a (secret) small warm smile at his efforts. She did want to see him succeed. He’d been so preoccupied with so many things that he didn't take time to do things he actually wanted to do because it was fun for him, or because he liked it.

“I’m sure he will sir. I’ll make sure the fire extinguisher is on standby as well.” she adds, her grin present once again as Ryo made a face, eyes narrowing a little.

“We’re not bringing up any old ‘accidents’, Jenny.” he says, waving his hand in the air . He was not in the mood to be reminded of his failed attempts at cooking. He learned from his ‘mistakes’ ( he hated to even call them that) and he was sure this time things would be perfectly executed.

Once he had a number of recipes saved for later, he feels the overwhelming vibe of confidence flowing through him. Despite his accreditation's, he never felt so proud of himself for being proactive about things like romance. He always felt like he didn’t have time for it or it wasn’t important. Spending time with Akira and reconnecting with him had changed that however, and because of Akira he was willing to try his damnedest to make this work. And frankly because most of his life was not what some would call normal, particularly with the case of all the demon hunting, he just wanted to have something going on that was much more...mundane. If he had to be honest, he was enjoying this more than anything. Especially since this had everything to do with the person he cared about the most.

He wondered if Akira knew now, would he be proud of him? 

Ryo smiles, fond of the thought as he goes through all the pictures he had saved to his phone of Akira. 

With all this new found enthusiasm, he was excited for how things would turn out in the future.

If only he knew.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deep, intense feelings of emotion were threatening to explode from Ryos body. He never thought he’d contemplate grabbing AKira and just kissing him right there.
> 
> If only he was that confident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to get this out, I was trying to find a good time to finally sit down and write this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it! There's more to come as always!

To see Ryo the way he was currently was, in Jenny's opinion, the most amusing thing she’d ever played witness to (and admittedly it was cute as well) . While she considered this a day off, she still stayed within range of the kitchen, a fire extinguisher nearby as well, ready to take care of any mishaps it any occurred. So far , however, Ryo was actually doing fairly well.

She's not sure if she's surprised or scared.

Ryo’s hair was kept back with hair clips, bangs off of his forehead to prevent too much sweat from accumulating and an apron tied around his waist. It was simple and white aside from the awfully adorable looking little devil sitting in the middle of the chest area. He was truly giving his all; cooked meats adorning the table, a hot pot boiling up in the middle and steamed vegetables surrounded it as well. Most recipes he found were fairly easy, since he wanted to start small and actually be aware of the value of patience this time around. Jenny was impressed at his willingness to try. His eagerness to impress and woo Akira with the gift of home made food swathed in the love he was pouring into each dish was all so surreal.

If Jenny really had to admit it, it was that Ryo was almost too good at getting things down pat quickly. Albeit with some guaranteed “when push comes to shove” logic.

“Mmm, I can imagine the look on Akira's face now.” he says, mostly to himself as he checks on the cookies he whipped up not too long ago. Granted, his dishes were coming out well, they weren’t exactly the perfect quality he would have hoped for. Despite this, he hoped Akira found his efforts endearing. Some Of his meat dishes could have used more flavoring, or even cooked a bit longer, but he knew Akira was gaining an affinity for all types of prepared meat. His large hot pot was still bubbling up with all the food he stuffed into it. Ryo honestly never realised how many things went into some of the food he was trying to make and didn’t blame Jenny for sometimes just slapping something into the oven and calling it a day. This was exhausting, yet oddly satisfying.

He had read in one of his books earlier that _sometimes a way to your beloveds heart can be through things they like_ , and knowing Akira, food was a sure fire way to get to that point. He had different servings of chicken, roasted, fried, boneless and steamed. Various beef dishes, some covered in sauces, well done or rare. Ryo was glad this wasn't something he had to do everyday, he's’ sure he’d get sick of it.

But if it was all for Akira, he’d probably never grow tired.

He grabs his cookies out of the oven a bit later than he intended, but he would keep them anyway despite the too brown edges on quite a few of them. He gently pushed them all into a decently sized cardboard box, the bottom lined with wax paper and the outside covered in a star pattern. He eyes the pile of cute shapes with a pleased expression before he closes the top up and ties it up with ribbon. He figured it couldn't hurt to be a little cliche about it.

Another tip he gathered from his readings was the idea of _decoration and personal style with your cooking and how your object of affection will feel some of the effects of your feelings through the work put into your creation just for them._

The words in these books were fueling Ryos desire the more he read them.

He felt sappy and maybe even overzealous, but if he had to be frank, he was too busy thinking about how Akira would react to all this. His hopes for Akira to love it was stronger than his own self judgements. 

Things were winding down at this point, and the last thing Ryo makes is a layered cake that truly showed his bias for colors, with the outside being covered in white buttercream icing while the inside was a rich, deep brown chocolate. He felt like he’d get multiple cavities from just looking at the treat, however he felt proud of his accomplishments. His large table was filled with food and now he knew it was time to enact the second phase and call Akira over.

To his luck, the devilman wasn’t busy and was eager to come over. He smirks, a soft smug aura filling the room as he looked over the expanse of the table at the food and then heard Akira say he was on the way before hanging up.

“Do you think if I put some of the good wine out it would be too much?” he asks, looking over at Jenny while he took his apron off. She was sitting on the couch, one leg crossed over the other as she idly watched some day time drama show that was on the big screen.

“Seems a little desperate if you get too showy.. Just give him some of that peach soda. You and I both know he loves that drink.”

“...I made a banquets worth of food and soda doesn’t seem appropriate. Plus I want Akira to get the full treatment. I hope you do remember that this- ”, he gestures to the table, “-is of top tier importance and that Akira is of top tier importance.” he says, narrowing his eyes as she just shrugs, one of her usual signs that she was letting him have his way, but also that she was not in the mood for his silly arguments. “And I am not desperate. Thanks for the advice, _Jennifer_.” he stresses the name between his teeth, which only makes her glance at him and frown.

“ If I wasn’t in the middle of this nail biting drama, I’d ground you.”

Ryo just juts his lower lip out a bit before getting back to his business. Jenny didn't exactly abide by him calling her “mother” or “mom” but she was his parental figure and honestly these kinds of threats from her weren’t uncommon. He just sighs and decides to freshen up, but not before debating on wine or peach soda.

The peach soda won out in the end. As much as he wanted to impress, he valued providing Akira his favorite drink over that. He sets out a full case worth onto the table before tossing his apron off and rushing to his bathroom to fix his hair back to being neat. As he’s sprucing up, he decides to spritz himself with a subtle hint of perfume. Something sweet and light that he wanted Akira to take notice of aside from all the delicious smelling food.

It wasn't long until he heard a hard knocking at his door. He smooths his clothes down with his hands, though there weren’t many wrinkles in the thin, baggy sweatshirt. He makes sure the rest of his clothes looked pristine before he opens the door, putting on a soft smile for his friend.

“ Akira! thank you for coming over.”

“No problem, Ryo! I was kinda thinking about visiting earlier, so it was pretty lucky of you to invite me. “He replies, walking in and shrugging his jacket off. Ryo grins to himself and follows along, eyes widening as he noticed Akira was wearing more of a sleeveless shirt under the hoodie he took off. His arms were toned, muscles all there for him to see.

If Ryo really, really had no self control, he’d have run his hands down them ages ago. 

“So what’s up?” he asks, hanging the hoodie up on one o the white wall hangers to the left of him. “And….whoa it smells so good in here.” he says, mouth already watering from what Ryo could see as he watched him. He begins to smile again, his eyelids lowering a bit as he reaches out to touch Akira’s shoulder. His skin is warm and smooth and Ryo could swear his own skin was tingling.

“That would be exactly why I brought you here. It prepared a little something special for you---you’ve been working hard on a lot of things and I appreciate everything you do for me when I ask it.” he says, walking along with him. They reach the kitchen area and he sees the visible representation of awe and surprise on Akira’s face as he eyes the sea of food before him. He opens his mouth, trying to find words to say but he just ended up making short noises. Ryo was pleased by this and he looks up to see Jenny watching them both, her legs crossed and her chin propped on one of her hands as she grins.

“Ryo, holy shit!” he says, walking around the long table and eyeing all the dishes adorning it. Everything was kept warm and fresh and steaming. The smells sort of mingled together but to Akira it all smelled so good. He stops in front of Ryo and looks at him, eyes shining as still looks surprised. “All this food--did you get this for me?” he asks, his voice soft as he looked a bit sheepish now. Not an uncommon look, but it made Ryos heart flutter. He tried to keep his composure as he looked at Akira.

“Well, something like that. I made all of this myself.” he answers, something welling up in his chest. Maybe it was a bit of anxiety, but truthfully it was more like he was going to burst from excitement.

“Oh! Oh wow, Ryo that's so sweet---I don't know what to say!” he says, now sniffling as tears began to roll down his cheeks. “Y-you even got my favorite soda too!” he adds after he spots it. Ryo blinks, a little confused and not sure if Akira was sad over this or not. He frowns, worried and about to say something when Akira surges forward and pulls him into a tight, warm embrace. Ryo gasps, eyes wide and his face so warm and pink that Jenny started to laugh behind her hand as she watched them. Ryo stares forward, Akira still holding him tight. His arms were squished against he devilmans chest and he couldn't reciprocate the hug, but honestly he didn't even care at this point.

Granted, they’ve shared hugs before, but lo and behold, this time it felt different. Ryo felt like it was different. They never hugged this intensely or for this long before and Akira definitely did not press his fucking face into his neck before. Ryo practically trembles, his fingers curling into Akiras dark shirt.

“You’re so good to me Ryo. You made all of this for me.” he says, still crying as he got his tears all over Ryos sweatshirt, but truth be told Ryo didn’t even give a shit. Akira was hugging him and they were so close. Chest to chest and Akira was so warm. He smelled like he took a shower before he came over and honestly Ryo could lay in that oaky smell of whatever soap he used all day if he could. 

“And um...I hope this isnt weird but...you smell really good.” he says as he laughs, sniffling and trying to wipe his tears away as he pulled back, laughing and smiling at him. All Ryo could do was stare. Akira's praises and the fact that he said he smelled good? A win. An honest and genuine win. Things were going so smoothly that Ryo definitely would have to give Jenny some proper compensation over those books she gave him, they were helping a lot more than he thought they would. He finally snaps out of his dream like trance and just chuckles, looking cool, calm and collected like usual. 

“Thank you. It’s just something I have, but don’t wear often.” he says before going back to the previous conversation. “Anyway, I do hope you enjoy what I’ve made for you. I got a bit carried away, I admit. But I really wanted to do something special for you.”

“Believe me, this is amazing. I’m glad I didn’t eat lunch yet because I’m gonna destroy this table. I’m just gonna warn you.” he says, grinning and rubbing his hands together as he looks over at the food that was just begging him to chow down.

“Then by all means enjoy yourself. You definitely deserve it, Akira.” he replies, smiling at him when Akira just grins before taking a seat. Per usual, he begins with the meat first. Even though Akira ate like a wild animal, Ryo still found a way to swoon over him. He sighs, idly eating his own small plate of food he took for himself, deciding to sample his work. If he really had to brag, he’d say he did a damn good job. 

Akira ate his fill of pretty much everything and honestly that really meant he ate all of it. Somethings Ryo did manage to snag some of before he devoured it so he could try some himself, but he was beyond ecstatic over Akira having eaten it all. He starts gathering up the now empty plates and bowls for the sink, smiling as Akira downed a fourth can of soda and looking pretty content. Jenny had gotten up to now help clean up the kitchen a bit, shoo-ing him to go and talk to Akira.

“How was it? Not too much?” he asks, standing close to him as he stood up and stretched. 

“Oh no, not at all. It was more than enough!” he says, smiling at hte blonde. “But really Ryo, that was amazing. You’re...just...amazing. The fact that you made all that for me, and it was so good too! I’m not an expert at any kind of cooking, but you should do it more often. I’ll eat anything you make.” 

Ryo felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest and fly right into the stratosphere. It was just compliments. Compliments that were making him feel sweaty and flushed. His cheeks were actually very pink and he knew Akira could see it. His wide blue eyes shined as he looked at him actually a bit nervous now. So unlike him, but really he wasn't sure if he could help it.

“It means a lot to me that you liked my cooking. I was afraid maybe I was doing a little too much. You’re so sweet to me, Akira.” he replies, a smile present on his face. 

“Of course. I mean every word... Ryo-chan.” he decides to say, scratching at his cheek when he started to blush.

Ryo was speechless for a moment, because holy shit Akira really just called him Ryo-chan. It wasn't something he did much anymore, but hearing him say it now was taking his breath away.

“A-Akira.” he says softly. Their eyes met and something seemed to just...spark between them it seemed like. Ryo knew it wasn’t something either of them could see, but he could feel it. He hoped that Akira felt it too. It dawns on him however that he was forgetting one thing. He suddenly moves away and goes back toward the kitchen area, grabbing the cookies he made earlier. “I can’t believe I almost forgot this.” he says, standing in front of Akira and presenting the cookies to him. Akira blinks, eyes wide as he takes the box and stares at it for a moment before he starts to open it.

Ryo watches with baited breath, teeth worrying his bottom lip just a little when he saw Akira gasp a bit.

“Are these cookies? They are so cute!” he says, looking at one of them that was in the shape of a crescent moon. His eyes were shining again as he popped it into his mouth, practically moaning as he chewed it. Ryo felt like he was going to float right out of the apartment, but hearing Jenny snickering as she watched them both act so precious made him narrow his eyes at her and pout a little. He would deal with that later, going back to giving Akira his attention.

“I made those for you as well. I know I said all of it was made special, but really these are, well, a bit more than that.” he says, really hoping Akira was seeing what he meant, Ryo felt like he spent the most time on those cookies. He worked on the dough, prepared everything for it to make sure they came out right. Despite some of it being too brown, Akira still loved them and ate them so lovingly. What else could Ryo say to that? 

Akira smiles so warmly at him. The adoring look made Ryo feel like he’d just melt into a big puddle right in the middle of the floor.

“Thanks again Ryo. I loved all of this---especially these. You put so much love into them and I can really feel it.” he says, closing up the box nad holding it close to himself. “You should definitely cook more often.”

Ryo’s mind was already fixated on that, especially if Akira liked it that much to want to eat his cooking again.

* * *

Ryo began cooking more and more, though admittedly when he wasn’t in the mood he’d ask Jenny to make something ( she didn't mind.) But usually, if it concerned Akira he tried to make something himself for him to eat whenever he came over to get his fill on some hearty food. Ryo found it to be a new hobby for himself, to make little things here and there.

Sure, it was pretty ambitious of him to have made all that food before, but just thinking about spending as long as he did on it made him exhausted. On one of the days he was discussing some demon activity he’d been keeping up on recently with Akira, he found himself face to face with a present from him.

A present. From Akira. Specifically for him.

Deep, intense feelings of emotion were threatening to explode from Ryos body. He never thought he’d contemplate grabbing AKira and just kissing him right there.

If only he was that confident.

What he was currently looking at in his lap just then, was a box similar to the one he gave Akira full of cookies. It had little cat faces all over it and it was tied with ribbon as well. His shaky hands slowly undo the loose knot and he opens the box. His eyes grew wide as he saw what was inside the box. Similar to the other day, it was another box of cookies. These were in the shape of some simple looking cats with little chocolate eyes. Ryo could barely get himself to talk, but his face said more than his mouth could.

“I hope you like them! I had to get Miki to help because I uh...didn’t really know what I was doing, but I really wanted to make you something too.” he says, sitting close to Ryo on the couch, turning to face him. “I really hope you like them. I didn’t taste test any of it, so…” he says, rubbing the back of his head. Ryo picks one up and eats it, his eyes wide and his face in awe. 

It was delicious. Soft and so good in his mouth and on his tongue. If he didnt feel like he was about to explode, he’d have kissed Akira right there.

“Do you like them? They’re not all hard are they?”

“Akira...these are lovely. So lovely.” he finally says, shoving another in his mouth. Akira grins and wraps his arms around Ryo, excited over his words.

“Im so glad!” 

Later that night, Ryo was still holding the box of cookies,having eaten half of them and if Jenny weren’t there he’d probably have inhaled all of them in one sitting.

“Jenny...he made me cookies. He made me the cutest damn cookies I’ve ever seen. Just for me. He made these for me.” he says like a mantra, stuck in a perpetual state of awe and amazement. He was truly swooning and probably would be floaty like this for the rest of the night and even longer.

“You’re hopeless. I do hope you don’t go to bed with that box of cookies. You’ll wake up disappointed.” she says, surprised he let her take the box from his hands so she could put them somewhere safe on the counter of the kitchen.

“I can’t bring myself to eat them all. I want to save them forever. A testament of Akiras love and hardwork.” he says, still sounding like he was stuck in an odd trance. She raises and eyebrow tilting her head at him a bit.

“You and I both know they’ll go bad if you just keep them and don't eat them.” she points out. That seems to break him out of his stupor and he just makes a face that borders on him being slightly annoyed that she was right.

“I’ll just eat them all and not share them with you, then.”

“With or without the impending threat, I feel that you’d have eaten them all anyway.” she answers back, just smiling and watching him strut over to the box and open it up to look at them some more before he picks one up to nibble on it. She sighs, her smile less of a grin and more of a genuine look of adoration for Ryo.

This whole thing was really what he needed, she thought. It got him to be much more active than he ever would have been before.

* * *

It was a slow, peaceful night when Ryo starts reading through his books again after finally calming down from his brief trance like state of fawning over the gift he received from Akira a couple of days ago. He was mostly multitasking, scoping the location of the same demons he had a lead on and also making notes from the passages in his book. He takes careful consideration from the page he was reading about spending alone time with the person you’re close to and working toward conveying your feelings in that way as well.

This was ideal and worked him closer toward his goal. Most people might think he’s been extra and going about this the way he was may have seemed like it was too much work. Sure, he could just outright tell Akira, but Ryo wasn’t keen on just blurting it out this time. He really wanted to show Akira first. It looked like it was working, so he was excited to see how things would progress.

A few days later, they met up for the usual demon hunting. These demons weren’t exactly the worst or even the hardest Akira had fought before but there were enough of them to be annoying to fight. Ryo helps out a bit with his firearms, taking out any that might ambush Akira if he needed it.

The aftermath was just as messy as every other time, so they did the usual and Akira was cleaning himself up after all the mess.

“Excellent work, Akira. You’re getting better at keeping cleaner during a fight.” he notes, seeing how most of the yellow, mustard colored blood seemed to just be on his hands and forearms for the most part. Akira grins and lets Ryo pour water over them so he could scrub it all off. 

“Aw, its nothin. It feel like it’s just easier on us both if I do it like that.” he says, taking the towel the blonde hands him. “ You taking them down really helped too, by the way. You’re pretty good with a pistol.” 

Ryo blushes a little, wanting to hide inside of his coat. Akira was suppose to be blushing from his compliments, not the other way around.

“I’m...I’m not that good. I dont always hit the mark entirely.”

“You’ve got a really steady hand though. You’re good at being precise, badass at it too. It’s exciting watching you take aim.” he says, winking at him as he finished drying off and starts to slip on the shirt Ryo brought for him. Ryo was a bit speechless, every word he wanted to say just never coming out. Akira really knew how to make him get flustered so easily. 

It was so damn unfair.

“Thank you, Akira. You’re too sweet.” he finally replies, trying to keep his smile soft and small. He’d never had such a hard time keeping his composure until he started all of this.

Once things were cleaned up and they were done, they ride Akiras motorcycle to another area of the city. It was quieter, more serene and it allowed them to relax and spend some time together that didn't involve demons or anything of the sort. Just the two of them alone together. Ryo had suggested it earlier and Akira loved the idea a lot, so that was partly why he wanted to take his bike instead of Ryos car, so he could take him to this place. It was a bit like a large park, though it gave them more chances to be alone since it was so big. They sat near a water fountain, just letting the soft sounds of the running water calm them down after the demon scuffle they had earlier.

They bought snacks at a nearby mini mart, with Ryo nibbling on some rice crackers and Akira inhaling some of the melon bread he’d gotten. Ryo glances at him, feeling a bit sheepish and suddenly shy. He had a chance here to tell Akira how he felt, or at least hint at it some more. This shouldn't even be that hard, but he was struggling and it was actually very annoying. If he could slap himself, he would. He finally decides to nut up and say something, mostly to break the silence between them.

“You know, Akira...I’ve really just been thinking about...some things.” he says, trying to find his words better than this. “ Mostly just, things about us. You didn’t have to say yes to merging with a demon and helping me out with all this demon hunting. You didn't and yet...you still said yes. You knew the consequences and well...it means a lot to me that you said you’d do this for me.” he says, not sure why that was what he decided to start off with, but it was better than anything else he was ready to spill from his mouth. Akira nods, swallowing down his food first before speaking.

“Of course, Ryo! You needed help and I’m always happy to lend a hand. Plus, I don’t want you to just do everything on your own. You could get hurt or worse and I don’t want that to happen.” he says, turning toward him a bit more. Ryo’s brain was working up a storm in his head. Akira cared so much and it always showed. While Ryo felt like he didn’t deserve it half the time , he still appreciated it wholeheartedly and it just made his feelings grow for his friend.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you, Akira.” he says, starting to feel confident. “You’re like a shining beacon in the dark for me...sometimes I think I’d be a bit lost if you weren’t with me, you know.” he smiles upon Akiras blush, his free hand rubbing against his cheek out of embarrassment.

“Aw...Ryo…”

“I mean it, Akira.” he says, facing him a bit more as well, their knees touching as they looked at each other. He had to take the chance now, he had to say something! He opens his mouth, cheeks pink and their eyes meeting. He wanted to say something so badly, but it was hard. 

So, so hard. 

He was floundering all over again and he panics at the watery eyed look Akira was giving him, and he eyes the others lips as he didn’t know where to look anymore.

“Y-you mean a lot to me. Really. You’re the most important person in my life.” he starts off. It was good, but as soon as they looked at each other again, he loses it. Like a child dropping their ice cream right in the dirt. “You’re my precious friend...our friendship is so important to me.” No, no it was more than that. It was so much more than that, but Ryo flubbed it. He had the words and they died right there, with something else filtering through. Why was it so hard to just say it? 

”So I’m glad that...that you’re...I’m…” he says, voice tapering off because he felt like he dropped the ball right off a cliff. He’d never been so flustered before. Akira has never heard him sound like this so things were bordering on being embarrassing for Ryo. He was suppose to be cool and calm, and now he feels like he was getting ready to go into fight or flight mode.

Things didn’t get awkward or weird, but he noticed something with Akiras eyes, his expression changing so quick that Ryo wasn’t sure what he saw, but he doesn’t dwell on it as he smiles warmly at him. It wasn’t a usual “aw my friend Ryo” sort of smile.

It was different. It had more heart in it and he could tell it did.

“I feel the same way.” He answers back, pausing to rub the back of his neck a bit. “I um...kinda wonder sometimes if maybe we’re soulmates or something.” Akira answers back, his hand now devoid of the melon bread that he sat back into the bag and it was now placed over Ryos hand. Akira’s hand was larger than his now, fingers longer and it was so warm against Ryos skin.

Ryo’s head was spinning. He fucked up his sort of confession so badly, and he’d have to take time to recover from it. However, Akira said something that took his breath away.

Soulmates.

Soulmates meant a lot of things, and while Ryo was still reeling over his botched confession, he was in awe of Akira choice of words. The idea that this is what Akira thought of the two of them was better than anything he said. He felt like he was floating just from that.

Plus they were holding hands, so this current predicament was making up for his monumental failure. 

He’s stuck in his thoughts for a moment, but feeling Akira squeeze his hand made him come back from zoning out. He blushes and looks down at their hands, deeming this a treasured moment in the saga of their relationship. He starts to smile, unable to look up at him just yet. He might start losing it more if he dared to look into Akiras big, beautiful hazel eyes.

“I think thats the perfect word for us, Akira.” he replies, finally looking up at him . Their eyes meet and Akira just smiles so softly at him. Ryo felt his stomach flutter and his heart was pounding.

He was falling in way too deep.

* * *

They spend the rest of their day walking the park, and to Ryos surprise and his enjoyment, Akira continued to hold his hand. Even if Ryo felt like he was sweating all the way down to his finger tips, Akira never let go. 

It was so exhilarating. Ryo wanted to stay like this forever.

It started to get a bit dark, the sun setting on the horizon as they were on the way back to Ryos home, his arms tight around Akiras waist and his head resting against his broad, strong back. He felt so content and the day was seemingly perfect. 

They stand at Ryos door and while normally they share a short hug and say their goodbyes, this time the hug was longer. They were so much closer to each other, their bodies flush as they just held onto each other for what seemed like forever. Ryo just buries his face into Akiras chest, never getting chances like this before. It was so intimate, so different from their brief embraces. Akira presses his face into Ryos hair, feeling how soft it was against his skin. If he was sure things wouldn't get too awkward, he’d have stayed like this a bit longer, but he needed to go. Akira pulls away and they depart, he watches Akira ride off and waves to him before entering through his door.

Jenny wasn’t there like she would be sometimes, but she left something for him to eat since she wasn’t sure when he’d be back. He sighs, rubbing his hands over his face as he leans back up against the door once he closes it.

He made progress, but he also didn’t at the same time. At least that’s what it felt like to him. He decides that he still had things he needed to learn and go through. His plan was getting somewhere,which was good, but he had to keep going. He needed to work on the lack of communication with Akira. Sure, they talked, they were a lot closer than they ever had been before. Those hugs were more intimate than anything they’d ever done before. 

Hand holding? Was probably the best thing to happen to him all week aside from Akira giving him that gift of cookies.

But Ryo was an overachiever. He liked to reach goals that he set for himself, and while he could have just done away with the plan and told Akira, he couldn’t just throw away all his research.

He wanted to get better at showing Akira and not only just telling him ( despite the trouble he was having with that, but he’d let it slide.)

“It’s time to up the ante.” he says to himself, starting to remember the chapter he was on in one of his books as he shrugs his coat off and walks into the kitchen area to grab the plate of food and go immediately to where his study area was.

Intimacy was a powerful thing, and he definitely was ready to explore the concept.


End file.
